Music
The music department includes over twenty members of staff and is housed in its own dedicated block.
The music department is headed up by the Director of Music, Mr John Dunford, GTCL (Hons), LTCL (organ), ARCO (organ), ALCM (organ), AmusTCL (theory and practice of composition).
He is supported by the Assistant Director of Music, Mr Ross Simpson, BA, (Hons), PGCE and Miss Hilary Dexter BMus, (Hons), LGSM (cello), LGSM (piano), PGCE and Mr Phil Redding BMus (Hons), PGCE. There are also fifteen part-time visiting tutors.
Most lessons in music take place in a room equipped with Apple Mac computers making use of Sibelius and Garageband composing software.
Music at Key Stage 3 focuses on the elements of Harmony, Melody, Rhythm, Form and Structure, and Texture and Timbre. Music theory, history and composition are all studied. Music theory looks at pitch & rhythm, scales and keys, time and phrase.
Music History involves listening and appraising exercises with music from Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th Century, World, Jazz, Rock, Pop. Composition exercises are in; ostinato, fanfare, binary/ternary form, 5/4 and 7/4 time, chords and melody, song writing, 12 bar blues, riff, primary triads, walking bass, Rock, Pop & Jazz.
Students can study music at GCSE. The Edexcel music syllabus is a broad based course which requires pupils to build on the work from Key Stage 3 as well as preparing pupils for the study of music at higher levels. A 90 minute exam at the end of the course asks questions based on the study of twelve pieces brought together in an anthology of music which pupils will have studied in detail and which have with a representative group based around four topics; Western Classical Tradition 1600-1899, music in the 20th Century, Popular Music is context, and World Music.
In composition two pieces or arrangements (or one of each) is required.
For the performing element pupils are required to perform a solo piece and an ensemble piece on an instrument or with voice.
Many students go on to study A level following the AQA A level course.
There is a good degree of flexibility within the syllabus for pupils to extend their knowledge of topics with which they will already be familiar and to explore music new to them, thus broadening their musical horizons. Regularly students from Ashville go on to study music at University and indeed make careers out of it.
